We'll make our own history
As the lights go out, Brittany has a hard time believing it's over. The New Directions had won. They were going to Regional's and the Troubletones weren't. The dream was no more.
"So this is it?" Sugar Motta sits curled in a ball in a backstage corner. Her black dress still clutches to her frame and only makes her insides gloomier. Of all the people to be devastated at their defeat, Brittany wouldn't have thought it to be Sugar Motta. The slightly crazy girl could usually bounce out of anything. The sad sight affects Brittany more than it should have – she is having a hard time seeing anything positive in the situation.
"We could always go back to the New Directions, I'm sure they would take us back with open arms." Mercedes suggests.
"No," Santana refuses, "I am not groveling at Mr. Shue's feet again. Shelby knows how to make a winning team and we should have won, they didn't even have choreography."
"I agree, it's the decline of the human race when monkey dancing gets more points than actual dancing." Sugar contributes, "My dad will be disappointed; he'll probably pull out his funding."
"Brittany? Are you alright," Santana notices Brittany has not said a word after having heard the results.
"I think I could be better with icecream."
Brittany loves it when the moment she expresses a need, Santana is whipping up a storm to give it to her. That's why the two of them are walking hand in hand from Santana's car to the small café that sells Brittany's favorite flavor – green tea with red beans– it's the only place in all of Ohio that has it. The café is way out of Santana's way but she never complains about driving the extra eight miles because Santana loves her that much.
"Feeling better?" Santana steals a spoon of Brittany's ice cream. That's their thing.
Brittany carefully sets her spoon down and savored the sweet taste melting in her mouth. "I think Mercedes wants to go back."
"Do you want to go back Britt-Britt?"
She shakes her head. Santana explicitly stated that she wouldn't return to the other show choir group. Even though the New Direction kids are family to Brittany, her immediate family is Santana and if Santana doesn't want to go she won't either. "Not if you don't want to. I guess I'm just sad that I'll have so much free time since there won't be any glee club practice. I'm going to miss the Directioners."
Santana snorts, "Seriously Britt? I don't miss whiney Berry, psycho Quinn, left feet Finn, Doucherman or any of those other guys."
"Not even Tina? Like aren't you friends with her?" Brittany cocks her head.
"Oh no, we're not friends. We're sort of allies when we both agree some people need to be knocked down a peg."
"Maybe we could invite her to join the Troubletones."
"No way will she come. Now's her chance to shine considering that you, me, and Mercedes are no longer competition. Solo's are a tossup between her and Berry. Besides, the Trouble Tones are officially dead."
"We're not dead Santana, we're right here. Anyways, it might be good though; there are a whole lot of things I haven't gotten around to doing like bringing Lord Tubbington and you to the support group for smokers, or assembling a new part for the time machine."
"Britt-Britt, the only reason we don't go the support group is because I don't want to go. And I feel for Lord T, taking away his cigars will seriously knock down his street cred. You don't want that."
"I guess not," Brittany plays with a red bean swimming in a pool of melted green. "Lord Tubbington sounds much better than just plain Tubbington anyways."
"Hey, I have an idea," Santana wiggles her chair closer to Brittany's. "Remember that time Mr. Shue and his band of misfits made their own album and we got glee club attendance for going to watch their album launching show? We could do that!"
"Make our own album?" Brittany's eyes widen. All of a sudden she can see herself on stage, the new Brittany S. Pierce taller and prettier and a much better dancer than the old one. "If only we can get Mercedes in."
"That's ridiculous, nobody is going to want to come and watch us." Mercedes crosss her arms. The idea had initially excited her but it ebbed away in the face of unrealistic dreams.
"Come on Mercedes. Isn't it your dream to be a big big star? That's not going to happen when Mr. Shue gives all the solo's to Rachel. On the Troubletone's you're our biggest voice." Brittany pleads with Mercedes to change her mind.
"My dad will pay for the album!" Sugar claps her hands happily, "We could be the next Destiny's Child!"
"Cede's, we don't even have to start with our own music. Putting our spin to the classics is almost just as good. You know nobody does Tina like we do." Santana says confidently.
"Fine," Mercedes caves, "But we're going to have to work hard."
"Long Live the Troubletones!" Sugar raises her cup of coke and all the other girls clink with her.
Work hard they do. Every day after school, Mercedes and Santana can be heard belting River Deep, Mountain High. Brittany choreographs dance after dance. Sugar takes singing lessons seriously with Shelby Corcoran who agrees to manage the Trouble Tones.
Slowly but surely they build their set list for their first show set for May 20th, the same day that the New Directions will perform for Regional's. Shelby plans it that way so all the visitors coming to Lima for the competition will get the chance to see a real talented show group.
The girls make posters and put them all over town. It is no secret the Trouble Tones are going head to head with the New Directions, and they mean business.
It isn't entirely unexpected, but it is a surprise nonetheless to find out that they have a full house. The New Directions had taken second-place, missing their chance to go to Nationals earlier and are now sitting in the auditorium to watch the Troubletone's show.
"It just means we have to put on a damn good show, make people see what Lima really has to offer." Mercedes encourages her mates.
Shelby joins them backstage to say the audience is waiting for them and that they have high expectations. "But don't worry, I trained you girls well. There will be no unprofessional conduct on the stage."
All the girls nod knowing that had been the New Direction's downfall, but Brittany can't help sending a mischievous wink Santana's way. Whatever naughty thoughts they have are saved for when the performance is over.
"And here they are! The Troubletones!" Shelby announces. They kick off with River Deep Mountain High, killing the audience with their first number. It is a great way to start the show.
There were other numbers too that win the audience's adoration. Brittany has everyone grooving with her in I want to Dance with Somebody, Sugar impresses her dad with her finally perfected rendition of Big Spender. Mercedes awes the crowd with The Power of Love, and Santana makes everybody cry with To Make you Feel My Love. Then Mercedes takes the stage with Santana to do What's Love got to Do with it. Brittany gets the crowd to do Single Ladies with her and altogether they do a medley of Candyman, Paparazzi, Born this Way, Take me or Leave me and finish with their youtube famous mash-up of Rumor has it and Someone Like you.
Everything happens so fast.
A week later, their 'Here comes Trouble by the Troubletones' concert has ten million hits on youtube. Then Ellen invites them onto her show where they do Rumor has it/ Someone like you again. The crowd loves it and Shelby decides that if they ever have an album that mash-up is going to be their first single.
To test the waters, Shelby calls in a favor from one of her producer friends who owns a label to record the Troubletones first song ever. Overnight, their first released single makes the top twenty on the itunes chart. The girls feel that they are getting their lucky break.
It's all new and fun and so different from high-school life but they love it. They get to be 'exclusive' on the Lima Radio as they introduce their group and their first song ever. Then other radio stations start promoting them and when they walk in the mall, Sugar points out that they are getting air play. All they do is laugh and scream and get ice-cream because it feels like the start of something amazing.
They've been working hard again. Ever since tasting their first piece of success, the Troubletone's know there is no turning back. Santana stays up late most nights writing songs and doing her final semester's homework after tutoring Brittany and listening to her mixed tracks all evening. They work as a team seamlessly. Sugar Motta makes sure that they are fully backed with cash and can afford the studio whenever they make demos. They run everything by Mercedes who co-writes songs with Santana and makes sure the music and lyrics jive.
They're having a blast. They're freshly graduated and have the whole world as their playground. They release a second single to their first EP ever named 'Trouble comes a Knockin' that is also the title of the first song that is originally theirs. It's got that RnB feel going on mixed in with a little soul and damned do the fans eat it up.
Shelby couldn't be happier. Her friend gets on board and agrees to sign them onto his label.
The girls are kind of weary about the signing, but Shelby promises them they'll get all the freedom they need to make their music.
A full year passes and the Troubletones have their first real album. Brittany listens to it all day because when she really likes something, she'll get immersed in it and tries to understand all the parts. 'Trouble comes a Knockin' is like that piece of cake you were waiting to eat on cheat day. It's as delicious as she expected it to be and it makes her want to savor it because something this amazing won't come again in a long time.
There's one song that she puts on repeat for seven days straight. It's titled, 'Fate' and she thinks it's the best song on the album. It's for the Troubletones but it's also about them – Santana and her – because Santana wrote it for her. When Santana hits the chorus, the words ring true; fate cannot be shaken, mistaken but never erased. There are the words, 'someday I'll ask for your hand' in there too and Brittany thinks Santana will one day say those four words to her.
Launching the "Here Comes Trouble by the Troubletones" tour three months after their album is released is one of the most exciting experiences of their lives. It's not just a small Lima theater anymore; it's Staple Center and Radio City Music Hall.
They go on tour around the country for the first time and the reception is beyond their wildest dreams. "It feels strange to not be dreaming about Beyonce' but actually being Beyonce'."That's how Brittany puts it and Santana agrees on the accuracy of the statement. The fans love them, the producers love them, the record label loves them – there's just a whole lot of love and celebration.
After that, they take trouble to other countries in Europe, Scandinavia, and Asia. It's the first time the Troubletones get to interact with their international fans. They get the loveliest words and the best presents. Sugar is in love with her scarf from India, Mercedes won't let anybody borrow her real from Paris Lois Vuiton shades. Santana gets a giant box of breadsticks from a fan in Italy who was lucky enough to receive the answer to her twitter question, 'what's your favorite snack?' And Brittany gets cat collars of different designs from every country because Lord Tubbington pretty much is all she tumblr blogs about.
On the last night, the conclusion of the tour, a moment happens. It's unexpected, at least to Brittany and everyone else in The O2 Dublin arena.
"Britt-Britt?" Santana asks because she just knows people are going to be shitting themselves with the fluffy nickname. She forgets her entire prepared speech so she goes with the ending, the most important part, "Will you marry me?"
Santana proposes to Brittany in front of 33,000 people. The fans in The O2 Dublin arena go crazy, and Brittany says yes, a thousand times yes. And then they kiss and they basically create a worldwide riot breaking tumblr and twitter.
There are other memories, other successes for the Troubletones, but Brittany will always remember how they made history with their very first concert in Lima and their last concert in Dublin – The day they became the Troubletones and the day Santana asked her to be her wife on a stage for the entire world to see.